‘A poem for Miss Black – we hope you bring the O’Duffy Cup back!’ – Róisin Black backed by her Galway pupils

It's the soundtrack to the life of Róisin Black – Take Me Home, Country Roads.

She teaches in the local school, Scoil Mhuire, where she was a pupil herself.

She helps to coach the school's camogie team. She feels that sport and education make the ideal dance partners.

“Sport has been such a huge part of my life. It teaches you so many life skills.

“It’s an all-girls school. We want to let them see that sport and education are both so important.

“It’s all about inspiring the children. The motto of ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.

“That’s why it is so positive that the profile of camogie has grown, and continues to grow.

“There was a record attendance of over 30,000 at last year’s All-Ireland camogie final, and you’d want to keep building on that.

“That’s what makes the game more attractive to young girls. And more and more of them want to play," declares the Galway skipper.

The Scoil Mhuire pupils have even composed poetry for Róisín.

‘A poem for Miss Black – we hope you bring the O’Duffy Cup back!’

There was a party in the school to celebrate her All-Star award.

Galway’s Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship journey begins this Saturday (May 25) in Parnell Park against the Dubs.

“Dublin have won the Division 1B title, so we know we face a difficult task.

“Preparations have been going well. We have a big squad. There’s plenty of girls putting their hands up.

“I feel it’s a more open championship now. The gap is closing between the big three, Cork, Kilkenny and ourselves, and the rest of the teams.

“The matches are better. That's what spectators want to see. You can’t take any fixture for granted.

“I also like the format. Two groups with plenty of games coming in quick succession.”

It was mid-April when Galway had their last competitive outing. “Having no provincial championship could be seen as a disadvantage to us, but we play challenges and in-house games.”

That last match was a defeat to Tipperary in the Very National League Division 1A final at Croke Park. Tipp won by a point.

“We were six points up at one stage, but fair play to Tipp. They showed great determination. They are an excellent side.

“We’ll take the lessons of that and bring them into the championship. One of the key things is that you have to be at your best for the entire match, and not just parts of it.

“You have to bring your 'A' game every time. It’s about striving for that consistency. Our immediate target is now to get out of the group.”

Following their Donnycarney appointment, Galway travel to Wexford before hosting Down and Clare and concluding the pool stage with a trip to Cork.

Last summer, Galway reached the All-Ireland semi-final, losing to the eventual champions Cork, by three points at UPMC Nowlan Park.

“We didn’t perform that day. We know that ourselves. We have had some close tussles with Cork over the years.

“This time, it will be no different, especially as it's the last game in the group. But there's a lot of camogie to be played before then. And we are not looking past Dublin this week.”